What is Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis?
Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) refers to scoliosis that occurs in late childhood or adolescence.
It is a 3-dimensional deformity of the spine occurring in healthy pubertal children and is the most common spinal deformity. The age of onset is usually between 10 – 18 years of age and is known to affect females more than males. A spinal curve more than 10 degrees with a rotational component is considered a scoliosis.
How do I know if my child has scoliosis?
A scoliosis more than 15 degrees will usually display visible postural changes such as:
How does scoliosis affect a young person?
At small angles, scoliosis is primarily a cosmetic issue and this can potentially have a psychological impact on the child.
As the child grows, there may be far-reaching health issues into adulthood if the scoliosis exceeds a certain angle and is left untreated, such as:
What are the treatment options available?
Depending on the individual case and severity of the curve, scoliosis treatment includes:
Treatment is prescribed depending on the risk of progression of the spinal curvature. This is associated with potential growth in the child or adolescent as scoliosis tends to progress with periods when there is a rapid or significant change in height. Medical specialists managing patients with scoliosis will need to monitor the spinal curves regularly to ensure it does not progress into a large curve. During growth periods, monitoring is usually done very 3-6 months, depending on skeletal maturity.
How can a physiotherapist help?
A trained physiotherapist can prescribe appropriate and customized exercises depending on the severity of the scoliosis and the risk of progression.
Physiotherapy management can include one or more of the following:
Our physiotherapist at the Women & Children Centre by Physio & Sole is Schroth BSPTS (Barcelona Scoliosis Physical Therapy School) Level C1 & C2 Certified and can treat scoliosis in all age groups. Feel free to contact us. Our physiotherapists will be ready to assist you.
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